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International Trees

Presented by Center for History at Center for History

November 8, 2008-January 4, 2009

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Holiday trees decorated with unique ornaments celebrate the community’s rich ethnic heritage in International Trees. Many of the community’s cultures share their holiday customs and traditions by decorating trees in this exhibit. This season, trees representing the African American, Celtic, German, Hungarian, Italian, Mexican, Philippine, Polish, Spanish and Swedish cultures can be seen. Just 100 years ago in the United States, one in five families decorated a Christmas tree for the holidays, but the custom quickly grew. By the 1930s, the Christmas tree had become a nearly universal part of the American Yuletide custom, although the decorations on most trees looked similar because 99% of all store- bought Christmas decorations were made in Germany or northern Europe. Homemade decorations reflecting ethnic traditions have always been popular as well and were usually constructed of materials such as colored paper, popcorn and cotton. According to local pioneers still living in the early 20th century, the first known Christmas tree was raised in St. Joseph County on Christmas Eve in 1855, by Frederick Glass, one of the county’s early German immigrants. He gave a Christmas celebration for his children and their friends, cutting down a fine cedar on the banks of the St. Joseph River at the current site of the Colfax Bridge. It was decorated with candles. Within a few years, a great tree was decorated for the whole community in the German Turnverein Hall on North Michigan Street in South Bend, and presents of candy and nuts were given to children.